I don't think the NFL is rigged but do think it very possible a few of the refs could get a nice payout to call a game here and there that could favor the outcome.
A well timed holding or interference call might not be able to swing a spread, but it sure couldn't hurt anything.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
J/C Flacco won the SB MVP, but I think the Ravens Offense yesterday was fairly ordinary except for Anquan Boldin. He makes anyone trying to cover him look like a child. He should have won the award, imo.
Everybody's Dream Head Coach blew it when Gore ran 33 yds to the 7 and he didn't pound the middle 4 straight plays if necessary. Ngata was out and Lewis was being manhandled all game. Even if it got to be 4th and Goal, the possible play action bootleg run/pass would have had a good chance of working because of the thought you planted with the first 3 runs. I HATE the freaking Fade on 4th and Goal; its SO low percentage.
With that said it was a crappy no-call on the defensive holding vs Crabtree on the final play. I generally dislike when the refs insert themselves into the game, but in this game - on that play - you gotta throw the flag.
Quote: A World Series was fixed Clem and a former NBA ref was busted for admitting to fixing games.
It's not as crazy as you think.
One rogue ref making calls to change a game for personal financial gain is a lot different than an organized league conspiracy, which is what some people are advocating..
I don't believe in the conspiracy... but the Ravens had 2 penalties the whole game... and on the final drive when they needed a PI call to extend the drive, they got one... when one might have cost them the game, it was a no-call...
and don't forget that early in the game when they had the scuffle, #29 for the Ravens put a nice 2 hand shove on an official and wasn't even flagged when he probably should have been ejected.
I thought Baltimore was the better team, and proved it. They got up big, the blackout definitely favored SF at that point, and they still overcame it.
Joe Flacco manned up. His play reminds me of Brady when Brady was actually winning championships. No picks, no bad throws, complete control of the field.
Jacoby Jones easily could have won MVP. What a steal he was.
As good as Flacco is, he sure does have an arsenal of weapons. Really really underrated. Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, Jacoby Jones, Dennis Pitta, and Ray Rice in your backfield. That's extremely underrated. I hate the thought of having to deal with that twice a year for the next 7-8 years.
Flacco also destroys the argument of QB's who play against bad competiton in college. If you can play, you can play.
I'm so tired of Ray Lewis and all his crap. Didn't even really notice him out there other than stuff before the game and on the sideline.
I agree that the non-call on SF's final play was probably holding at the least, but the 49'ers entire possession down there at the end was atrocious. Really Jim Harbaugh? That's what you had drawn up for the most important 4 plays of your life?
Colin Kaepernick has some skill, and can make some nice throws but I think we all need to pump the breaks on zone read being this new age "taking over the NFL" thing. To hear sportstalk personalities say drop back, pocket QB's are going to become a thing of the past is the most laughable thing I have heard regarding football in years. I don't disagree that there's a place for your RG3's and your Cam Newtons, but I will take a guy who can sit back there and sling it over a guy who can make plays with his legs. It's not about the guy who can win you one game, it's the guy who can stay healthy over the course of a year who can win you many games.
I do fully buy into it being a QB league. The days of Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson winning Super Bowls are probably gone. Baltimore was a floundering team before Flacco got there. They were just like we are now. Flacco had an average first year, then got consistently better. I do realize he was in the AFC Championship his first year, but so was Mark Sanchez, so I don't want to hear that argument.
I'm just really glad this season is finally over. We can put to bed the Art Modell crap (totally different argument but it was a joke he was even up for discussion) and we can give Baltimore their due, and as Browns fans, shift our focus to free agency.
Congrats to Baltimore, they definitely deserved to win that game. Now excuse me while I go puke.
Quote: J/C Flacco won the SB MVP, but I think the Ravens Offense yesterday was fairly ordinary except for Anquan Boldin. He makes anyone trying to cover him look like a child. He should have won the award, imo.
Everybody's Dream Head Coach blew it when Gore ran 33 yds to the 7 and he didn't pound the middle 4 straight plays if necessary. Ngata was out and Lewis was being manhandled all game. Even if it got to be 4th and Goal, the possible play action bootleg run/pass would have had a good chance of working because of the thought you planted with the first 3 runs. I HATE the freaking Fade on 4th and Goal; its SO low percentage.
With that said it was a crappy no-call on the defensive holding vs Crabtree on the final play. I generally dislike when the refs insert themselves into the game, but in this game - on that play - you gotta throw the flag.
Quote: Joe Flacco manned up. His play reminds me of Brady when Brady was actually winning championships. No picks, no bad throws, complete control of the field.
I don't totally disagree.. but Flacco seemed to have a horseshoe up his butt this year.. the pass against Denver should have never been completed if the safety just takes the right angle to the ball, it's either batted down or picked off... he had one last night rolling right that he just floated up in the air for a jump ball, everybody in the room assumed he was throwing it away... and it ended up being a long gain.. the guy has played well, I'm not taking anything away from him, but he has had a series of good fortune this year that he will probably never get again.
Quote: Joe Flacco manned up. His play reminds me of Brady when Brady was actually winning championships. No picks, no bad throws, complete control of the field.
I don't totally disagree.. but Flacco seemed to have a horseshoe up his butt this year.. the pass against Denver should have never been completed if the safety just takes the right angle to the ball, it's either batted down or picked off... he had one last night rolling right that he just floated up in the air for a jump ball, everybody in the room assumed he was throwing it away... and it ended up being a long gain.. the guy has played well, I'm not taking anything away from him, but he has had a series of good fortune this year that he will probably never get again.
You could probably go back and see good fortune with all SB winning QB's. Even Brady had his moments (tuck rule, Manning being horrible in cold weather games, being the beneficiary of great defense)
I'm not saying he's as great as Brady, just the way he's played reminded me of Brady when he was first winning SB's, and it's funny that someone mentions he's not doing that much, because people said the same thing about Brady at first.
I don't see Baltimore winning more than one over the next few years, like New England, because I don't think they have that dominant defense anymore. I also think playing in the AFC North is really tough because of how competitive and physical it is. You have 3 playoff caliber teams, and a Browns team that is very young and talented and is learning to compete. The Browns are at the bottom of the league, but I don't think they necassarily are a bottom of the league caliber team. They seem to me to be more of an 8-8 caliber team without direction.
Quote: J/C Flacco won the SB MVP, but I think the Ravens Offense yesterday was fairly ordinary except for Anquan Boldin. He makes anyone trying to cover him look like a child. He should have won the award, imo.
Everybody's Dream Head Coach blew it when Gore ran 33 yds to the 7 and he didn't pound the middle 4 straight plays if necessary. Ngata was out and Lewis was being manhandled all game. Even if it got to be 4th and Goal, the possible play action bootleg run/pass would have had a good chance of working because of the thought you planted with the first 3 runs. I HATE the freaking Fade on 4th and Goal; its SO low percentage.
With that said it was a crappy no-call on the defensive holding vs Crabtree on the final play. I generally dislike when the refs insert themselves into the game, but in this game - on that play - you gotta throw the flag.
By that time I was long asleep in my chair.. The lights out at the dome became lights out for me, so to speak.....but, I think I agree. Two yards a shot puts you to paydirt.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Quote: With that said it was a crappy no-call on the defensive holding vs Crabtree on the final play. I generally dislike when the refs insert themselves into the game, but in this game - on that play - you gotta throw the flag.
Disagree completely. It was a great no call. There was handfighting between both players. And nevermind the fact that nobody seems to want to recognize that there was no way the ball would have been caught in bounds anyway. You cannot have the refs deciding a game like that.
And for those who are saying Flacco isn't elite or is "lucky", it certainly comes across as sour grapes. The only "lucky" part about Flacco is that he was drafted to a team that was good enough to allow him to grow into the position. The other parts of the team carried him his first few years and altho I'm sure Baltimore had a small contingent of idiot fans begging for his benching, for the most part the city and the team rode it out with him. You know ... they developed him. They had some patience. Novel concept.
I think this should be a lesson to J&J ... but just like I predicted months ago, we will have a new coach, new GM, and a new QB. I think there's a chance Weeden can be as good as Flacoo if he's given the time, but he's not Jimmy's boy. Our only hope is that Banner can somehow figure out how to youtube Weeden's college highlights ... maybe he'll have a chance of sticking then.
Quote: I don't understand why Baltimore still has Ray Rice. They could easily get a 1st for a player they barely use anymore.
1100 yards rushing and 500 receiving this year is barely being used?
Also in a year where they fired their OC. They just don't feature Ray Rice. At least didn't last year. The Browns actually did well on him in both games.
That ball was still in Crab's catch radius. Just because it landed out of bounds doesn't mean a 6'2" guy with a 40" veritical can't jump up and catch it in bounds. I'm over the play, but I think the argument for "there was hand fighting on both sides"- all while Smith was draped over him not even looking at the ball while it was up in the air- is better than claiming it was uncatchable.
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I can see why it may not have been called Def holding because of the 5 yard rule, but the ball was in the air (and was catchable) and Smith was still holding on. I also think that Ed Reed was offside on the 2 point conversion attempt - that play is not on the highlights. But if you look back on Jones' KO return for TD, it sure looks like #46 had a chance to make the tackle but was being held by a Raven. That's 3 non-calls, and thats without even considering whether the key Pass Interference on SF was a catchable ball.
The ball was snapped at the 5, smith wrapped up Crabtree in the end zone with both hands and.was.holding.on while the ball was in the air. There is nothing to discuss, the ref blew it.
Quote: It was a great no call. There was handfighting between both players.
I would agree but on the drive before that when the Ravens kicked a FG to make the 49ers need a TD.. there was handfighting on a 3rd and 9 which fell incomplete and the Ravens would have had to punt, the 49ers could have won it with a FG and more time... and they called PI on the defense... gave the Ravens a 1st down and changed how the game played out...
Quote: And nevermind the fact that nobody seems to want to recognize that there was no way the ball would have been caught in bounds anyway
It could have been caught, no doubt about it.
Quote: You cannot have the refs deciding a game like that.
I absolutely hate this argument.. not making a legitimate call is deciding the game just as much as making a ticky tack call is deciding the game... the call against the 49ers and the no-call on a similar play against the Ravens absolutely positively helped in deciding the game...
Quote: I think there's a chance Weeden can be as good as Flacoo if he's given the time, but he's not Jimmy's boy.
I think there is too.. but Flacco has developed well over the last 4 or 5 years... and he's still younger than Weeden, he has 6 or 7 more good years to play at his potential... following the trajectory, Weeden is 34 before he gets this good and might have a couple years left. People can keep poo-pooing his age, but he won't get the kind of time Flacco got... just ain't going to happen.
Quote: And for those who are saying Flacco isn't elite or is "lucky", it certainly comes across as sour grapes.
yeah, I thought his long tossup balls were lucky plays in the early rounds but if SF couldn't adjust to them despite having plenty of tape on the Ravens and 2 weeks to prepare, then there just might be something to having really big, strong WRs against weaker/shorter DBs.
It's not like SF didn't know that Flacco was going to just throw it deep to Torrey/Jacoby/Boldin at least 10times in the game. They couldn't stop it though.
I really hate ticky tacky calls in any game ..... but if the officials call a play one way against one team, then they should call the same play the same way against the other team as well. Too often I see calls that are questionable go against one team, and the same type of play go unflagged against the opponent. Just be consistent in each game is all I am asking for.
I don't think that there is any malicious or devious motives behind the calls ....... but there are definitely inconsistent calls in almost every game.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
In the last few minutes of last nights SB, I saw...
Helmet-to-Helmet hit against Crabtree when he was a defenceless receiver.
Blatant defensive holding and pass interference against Crabtree on one play.
An Offensive Lineman bear-hugging a 49ers defender from behind on the Intentional-Safety, allowing the Ravens to kill more of the clock.
All within the last few minutes of the game. I know Refs don't want to throw flags that late in the game, but that doesn't mean teams no longer have to play by NFL rules after a certain point. The bear-hug form behind was especially blatant IMO.
It was a good game. But for me, it was ruined when one team didn't have to play by the same rules that all 31 other teams had to play by for the entire season.
Of course the holding on the safety was blatant...the whole team was doing it. They were trying to hold, tackle or anything. Whether or not they called the holding, it was going to be a safety and the time wasn't going to be put back on the clock.
It's a loophole in the rules. Honestly, I don't even remember if they threw the flag, but like I said, it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the play at all.
Yes, the hit on Crabtree's head was awful. I think because it was a glancing blow the ref might not have called it.
The holding/OPI/jump ball/bailout on 4th down....meh, I don't think it's really that bad. Or at least bad enough to force a flag. Heck, if they'd have thrown the flag, I think the general public would be upset about the same amount.
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Quote: It's a loophole in the rules. Honestly, I don't even remember if they threw the flag, but like I said, it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the play at all.
They didn't throw the flag. I understand that but it's not the referees job to make that judgment, it's his job to throw the flag and then sort it out according to the rule book. If they want to stop it, fix the rule... enforce the penalty on the kick move the punter back 10 yards and put 10 seconds back on the clock, just like they have a 10 second run off when the offense is called for something in the final 2 minutes when they can't stop the clock..... or whatever the rule says exactly. That and review the play and call it dead the second the ref throws the holding flag because at that point, it's a safety and the play is over... and it's a scoring play so it should be automatically reviewed... but that's not going to change this game...
Quote: The holding/OPI/jump ball/bailout on 4th down....meh, I don't think it's really that bad. Or at least bad enough to force a flag. Heck, if they'd have thrown the flag, I think the general public would be upset about the same amount.
Either don't throw the flag against the 49ers that gave the Ravens a first down or do throw a flag on the Ravens in the endzone... I would have been fine with either but both plays were penalties or neither was... its the fact that one was and one wasn't that bothers me..
speaking of egregious mistakes, did anyone else think it was the completely wrong call for the 49ers to try to return that kick instead of fair catching it?
Quote: speaking of egregious mistakes, did anyone else think it was the completely wrong call for the 49ers to try to return that kick instead of fair catching it?
I don't know.. he caught the ball on about the 20... not much you can do from there.
Which is better? You can fair catch it and run a pass play, either dump it off and pitch and lateral or heave it as far down the field as you can and hope for a PI (haha)so you can take a shot at the endzone or get a lucky bounce and have somebody run it it... but this allows the defense to put the right guys on the field in the right positions and be organized... or you can try to run back the kick were you do have a little more disorganization and I think have a greater chance of getting lucky and finding a seam.... If you have time for one play then stop the clock and run another play, I would fair catch it but if the kickoff is the last play, I think I just try to run it back.
I felt this was the biggest noncall (minus the massive holding call on the return TD) Ref is right there...and the helmet to helmet is not called....should of been half the distance to the goal...first down.
Quote: The ball was snapped at the 5, smith wrapped up Crabtree in the end zone with both hands and.was.holding.on while the ball was in the air. There is nothing to discuss, the ref blew it.
You can say that, and you may even be right, but from a person, ref, standpoint, it's hard to throw flags on the last play of the game. SF was playing for a call, thus the no call, IMO.
Ravens win, won, and history will show it is true.
Run the ball....they weren't going to call holding either....I'll bet you holding could have been called on that pass play and it wasn't.
It doesn't take a genius to know the refs flags are staying in the pocket on that play unless it is above and beyond.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Quote: Wow I didnt see that at all. How was that guy not ejected?
No idea, I was thinking the same thing when I saw it.
Maybe the ref realized the player probably didn't notice an official and it was on accident... If I were a ref in that situation I would not throw anyone out unless for something completely and utterly over the top (Suh stomping someones leg).
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